Falling for Culinary Cozies with Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

 

I’ve have always contended that there are four core mystery genres: the classic Whodunit, Hard-boiled, Police Procedural, and the Cozy. Within that cozy world lies a delicious sub-genre that’s had me hooked since I cracked open Virginia Rich’s The Nantucket Diet Murders back in 1985—before it was even called a culinary cozy. (You can read more about Virginia here.) I tend to be a sucker for a catchy title and a vibrant cover, but finding recipes on the end pages? That’s what sealed the deal for me. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to devour every culinary cozy mystery out there, from Michael Bond to Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, Ellen Hart, Joanne Pence, and fresh voices like Krista Davis, Avery Aames, and Livia J. Washburn. Keeping up with them all? Not a piece of cake!

 

I rarely make the recipes tucked into these books, until now. I’m turning over a new leaf, vowing to not only read these mysteries but also bake at least one recipe from each. Kicking things off is a seasonal stunner from Livia J. Washburn’s The Pumpkin Muffin Murders. This book had me itching to preheat the oven from page one; I swear I could smell the pumpkin spice wafting through the pages. So, this morning, I gave her Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins a whirl, and let me tell you, they were a fall breakfast dream.

I used a jumbo muffin pan, so instead of the suggested one tablespoon of cream cheese filling, I went big with a two-tablespoon cookie scoop that turned out to be the perfect choice. Next time, I might carve out an even deeper well for extra creamy goodness. I’m also a raisin-in-pumpkin-muffin fanatic (especially when they’re plumped up with a splash of rum—two tablespoons, to be exact), so I’ll toss those in next round. These muffins were a hit, and I’m already excited to bake them again. Here’s the recipe with my tweaks in parentheses. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Slightly adapted from The Pumpkin Muffin Murders by Livia J. Washburn

 Filling:

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 large egg

3 T. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

Topping:

4½ T. all-purpose flour

3 T. brown sugar

½ t. ground cinnamon

¼ t. ground ginger

3 T. chopped pecans

3 T. butter

 Muffin:

2½ c. all-purpose flour

2 c. white sugar

2 t. baking powder

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

½ t. salt

2 eggs

1-1/3 c. pumpkin puree

1/3 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups or use paper liners (I sprayed with PAM for easy release). Fill empty muffin cups with water for even baking.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add egg, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until combined. Pop in the freezer to set while prepping the rest.

 Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and pecans. Cut in butter with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

 In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Make a well in the center; add eggs, pumpkin, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.

 Fill muffin cups halfway with batter. Remove cream cheese mixture from freezer and add 1 Tbsp. (or 2 Tbsp. for jumbo muffins) to the center of each. Sprinkle with streusel topping.

 Bake for 20–25 minutes (longer for jumbo pans; check with a toothpick). Run a knife around each muffin’s edge, cool in pan for 10 minutes, then gently pry out and cool completely on a wire rack.

 Note: Save leftover pumpkin for pumpkin pie cocoa!

These muffins are a cozy mystery lover’s dream and a fall breakfast win. What’s your favorite culinary cozy recipe?As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Fireball Pumpkin Spice Muffins

 

As the leaves turn golden and the air gets crisp, there’s nothing like the warm, cozy flavors of fall to make you feel right at home. These Fireball Pumpkin Spice Muffins Muffins are the perfect autumn treat, blending the earthy sweetness of pumpkin with the fiery kick of Fireball whiskey-soaked raisins. With a hint of cinnamon and cloves, these muffins (or muffin tops, if you’re feeling fancy) are a delightful addition to your fall baking lineup. Whether you’re hosting a cozy brunch or just craving a seasonal snack, this recipe is easy to whip up and guaranteed to impress. Let’s dive into this boozy, spiced goodness that screams fall in every bite!Fireball Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1 c. golden raisins

½ c. Fireball whiskey

2 large eggs

1 c. pumpkin puree

1¼ c. granulated sugar

¾ t. ground cloves

¾ t. cinnamon

½ t. kosher salt

1/3 c. corn oil

1¾ c. flour

1½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a muffin pan with Baker’s Joy or use paper liners.

In a small bowl, soak the golden raisins in the Fireball whiskey for 35 minutes. Don’t drain—the whiskey adds a bold flavor to the batter! Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Stir in the canned pumpkin, granulated sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and salt. Add the corn oil and mix until everything’s well combined.

 In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

 Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture, along with half of the whiskey-raisin mixture. Stir until just combined. Add the remaining raisin mixture and mix gently—don’t overmix.

 Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.

Let the muffins cool slightly before serving.

Tips for Success

- For an extra touch, sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon sugar on top before baking for a crunchy, sweet crust.

- If you’re not a whiskey fan, swap the Fireball for apple cider for a non-alcoholic version (though you’ll miss that spicy kick!).

- These muffins freeze well, so make a batch and save some for those chilly fall mornings when you need a quick treat.

These muffins are a celebration of fall’s best flavors, with the whiskey-soaked raisins adding a fun, grown-up twist. They’re perfect for sharing at a harvest party or enjoying solo with a good book by the fire. What’s your favorite way to savor the season? Let me know in the comments!

Makes about 12 muffins

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

While opinions vary, my contention has always been that there are four genres of mystery: the Whodunnit, or classic mystery, Hard-boiled, Police Procedural, and the Cozy, the latter being my favorite.  A sub-genre of this genre (are you still with me?) is the culinary cozy, a variety of mystery that has enamored me since I read my first (though written too early - 1986 - to have been labeled as such), The Nantucket Diet Murders by the late Virginia Rich.  Titles and covers grab my attention first when book shopping, opening up this one and finding the end pages covered in recipes was all it took for me to make the purchase and then fall in love with the genre.  Since then I've tried to read every mystery that features recipes; it's not easy!  Michael Bond, Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, Ellen Hart and Joanne Pence are among the writers in this ever-growing list, as well as relative newcomers like Krista Davis, Avery Aames, and Livia Washburn.  Rarely do I actually try one of the recipes, that is until now.  I've decided that not only will I read the mysteries, but also make at least one of the recipes from the book.

Today's selection is a seasonal one, The Pumpkin Muffin Murders by Livia J. Washburn.  I wanted to bake the entire time I read this novel.  Seriously, I could almost smell the pumpkin.  So I gave them a whirl this morning and was very pleased with the results.  I used a jumbo muffin pan, so instead of filling each well of batter with just one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture, I used a 2 tablespoon-size cookie scoop and it worked out well.  I think the next time I may just make the indentation in each muffin a bit deeper and add even more.  I also tend to like raisins in pumpkin muffins (particularly those that have been soaked in 2 tablespoons of rum to loosen, err, plump them up), so will add them when I make these again.  What a wonderful fall breakfast they provided on the patio this morning!  The recipe is below with my comments in parentheses.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

from The Pumpkin Muffin Murders by Livia J. Washburn

Filling:

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened 

1 egg

3 T. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

Topping:

4-1/2 T. all-purpose flour

3 T. brown sugar

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground ginger

3 T. chopped pecans

3 T. butter

Muffin:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1-1/3 cups canned pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners (I sprayed with PAM and they came out of the pan with ease.). Fill any unfilled muffin cups with water (to promote even baking).

Filling:

In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add egg, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat until mixed, then place bowl in freezer to set while making other ingredients. 

Topping:

In a medium bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and pecans. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside. 

Muffin batter: 

In a large bowl, blend flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Beat together until well mixed. 

Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full. Take the cream cheese mixture out of the freezer and add 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter in the muffin cups. Having the cream cheese mixture will help you keep the cream cheese from touching the edges. Sprinkle on the streusel topping. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes. (If using larger muffin pans, you may need to bake a bit longer.  Test for doneness with a toothpick.  Remove from oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of each muffin. Allow to cool in pan for ten minutes. Gently pry from pan with knife and place on wire rack to cool completely.)

NOTE: Use remaining pumpkin for pumpkin pie cocoa.

I was tickled pink to be able to add this antique medicine bottle to my collection of flower vases.  Just this morning it was unearthed by the guy who came out to grind down the last of the five stumps we had left from the uprooted trees.  I washed it, added zucchini leaves and a zinnia and had a lovely seasonal addition to my place setting.

Pumpkin Muffins from Longfellow's Wayside Inn

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the sights, sounds, colors, and crispness in the air.  I found it all today at the local garden center turned pumpkin wonderland.  It was hard to know what to grab first, the colorful, unusually shaped gourds, the pumpkins, or head for the ornamental kale and chrysanthemums.  I managed to come away with something of everything and then was so inspired that I made a batch of pumpkin muffins in muffin top form (I love my muffin top pan!).

Whenever I make pumpkin muffins, I always head for my "go to" recipe, from Longfellow's Wayside Inn (the oldest operating Inn in the country, dating back to 1716) located in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

The recipe yields 12-16 muffins, or about 22-24 muffin tops.  They are perfect with a mug of warm cider or pumpkin pie cocoa.

How cute is this pumpkin muffin top being kept warm perched atop a pumpkin mug?

Pumpkin Muffins
Longfellow's Wayside Inn

1 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1-3/4 cups flour

1-1/2 teaspoon baking power
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Soak the raisins in the water for 5 minutes, do not drain.  Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, stir in the pumpkin, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the canola oil and mix well.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture with half of the raisin-water mixture.  Mix well, add remaining raisin mixture; stir to mix.  Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees F until the top springs back when pressed with fingers, about 25 minutes for muffins, 22 for muffin tops.

Muffin tops served on a favorite pumpkin plate that I drag out and love to bits every year at this time.

This post is linked to:Little Red House for Mosaic Monday

A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
Cast Party Wednesday